THE southern hemisphere’s largest annual construction and infrastructure exhibition, CIVENEX will be held on May 16 and 17 this year at Sydney Dragway, Eastern Creek.
The annual event was established more than 50 years ago by the NSW division of the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia (IPWEA) to provide an industry exhibition and forum for public and private sector engineers and contractors.
Known then as Engineers Field Days, CIVENEX began with eight companies displaying their equipment on the grounds of The Spastic Centre in Allambie Heights.
For the duration of the initial CIVENEX, the exhibitors volunteered their equipment and services to assist in the facility’s expansion, at no charge to The Spastic Centre.
Since then, CIVENEX has been held at other sites where exhibitors have used their machinery and specialised services to complete a charity or community project.
Other CIVENEX venues have included the Big Brother Movement’s Cabramatta Farm in 1958, the National Fitness Camp in Narrabeen from 1966 to 1968, NSW Soccer Federation Headquarters in Parklea from 1980 to 1986, and Sydney Showground in Homebush Bay from 2002 to 2006. Now, CIVENEX attracts more than 250 companies and organisations that exhibit their machinery, equipment and services.
Thousands of contractors, local government engineers, works offi cers and tradespeople attend the event to view the latest trends in equipment and practices for engineering, construction, excavation, paving, piping and landscaping.
Many other sectors are represented, including environment, water, waste, and roads and traffic IPWEA uses the proceeds from the event to provide ongoing professional development services to its members. It also donates part proceeds to
the Foundation for the Technical Advancement of Local Government Engineering in NSW. Reasons to exhibit CIVENEX event manager Frank Sticka said CIVENEX strove to provide the best experience for both exhibitors and visitors.
“Exhibitors need to see results from their investment. This means getting new qualified leads and keeping in touch with their current clients,” Mr Sticka said.
“Visitors want to find products that are cost-effective, safe and dependable. They also want to know that there will be ongoing support and, most importantly, that they can trust the supplier to be fair and friendly in future dealings.” Exhibiting companies can reinforce business partnerships by displaying their products and services to existing and potential customers. CIVENEX gives exhibitors the opportunity to maximise exposure for their products and services
by developing future leads, re-establishing contact with current and past customers, being in the midst of industry buyers, raising corporate profiles and increasing product range awareness.
Exhibitors can allow customers to interact with their products, which promotes awareness of what the equipment can do and its reliability. The event also has areas dedicated to live equipment demonstrations, where prospective buyers can see the equipment in action.
“Visitors to trade exhibitions tend to be results-oriented and attend exhibitions because they have specific needs.
“They spend their limited time and money looking for ways to make their work easier or more profitable,” Mr Sticka said.
“Exhibitions are just as much about establishing and maintaining business relationships. Customers don’t care whether the equipment is the biggest or latest: they want to know if it will do the job.”

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